


you and i got lost in it

by roofpizza



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-30
Updated: 2014-10-30
Packaged: 2018-02-23 05:23:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2535716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roofpizza/pseuds/roofpizza
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>sometimes harry and niall go to parties</p>
            </blockquote>





	you and i got lost in it

i. 

“You’re being such an idiot about this,” Niall says, rolling his eyes as he takes another sip of his Corona. “It’s just a movie.”

“It’s not _just_ a movie!” Harry exclaims, limbs loose with alcohol and the high of a good date. “I can’t believe you haven’t seen _any_ Godard movies that’s like—“

Niall wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “Oh spare me, Monsieur Douchemaster. You probably just pretend to like it to impress your lame older friends or something.”

Harry reddens at the completely accurate read and takes a hasty gulp of his own beer. Thankfully, Niall ignores this and moves on. “You’re lucky you’re cute; if anyone else had taken me to see such a shitty movie I would have left them right there in the theater.”

Harry beams down at Niall. “You think I’m cute.”

Harry smiles down at his toes. The party goes on out in the living room, but all Harry can think is _He thinks I’m cute_.

Niall rolls his eyes. “Like you aren’t totally aware of that.”

“Well if you think I’m cute why haven’t you kissed me yet?”

“Why haven’t you kissed _me_?” Niall counters.

Someone breaks a glass beyond the walls of the kitchen, but Harry can only hear static as he leans in to kiss Niall.

ii.

They’re at another party, and this time, Harry can’t keep his hands to himself.

“We’re in _public_ , H,” Niall giggles nervously as he tries to push Harry’s hands away from his butt. 

“No one cares, babe,” Harry groans and pulls Niall closer to him so he can finally wrap himself around him. They’re standing in the corner of the living room of another huge house, completely ignored by almost everyone else at this part, but probably not enough for Niall’s taste. 

“Harry,” Niall whines when Harry gropes him again.

“I got an idea,” Harry whispers in Niall’s ear and doesn’t wait for a response before he pulls Niall toward the parlor and the big staircase there.

“Where are we going?” Niall asks between loud cackles. “Where are you taking me, oh my God—“

“Shut up,” Harry orders, giggling the entire time he drags Niall up the stairs.

Niall keeps quiet as they finally reach the landing and Harry pushes him against another wall.

“You make me so crazy,” Harry practically growls against Niall’s neck.

“Are you gonna bite me,” Niall jokes, but it’s undercut by the moan he lets out when Harry palms at his crotch.

“Only if you’re bad,” Harry tells him, and he’s mostly joking too.

“Shut up and find us a room.” Niall pushes Harry off of him. “I’m not having sex with you in a hallway.”

“Who says I want to have sex with you right now?” Harry counters, twining his hand with Niall and leading them down the hall. “I’m no floozy, Niall.”

“You’re so fucking cheesy,” Niall says as Harry opens the door to what turns out to be an empty bedroom.

“Would you please stop insulting me.” Harry pushes Niall onto the big extravagant bed. “And strip before I strip you.”

“I don’t mind either options,” Niall says, putting his hands behind his head. 

“You’re so spoiled,” Harry scolds, but climbs on top of Niall anyway.

They don’t leave the room until the next morning, and later that day Harry spends the night in Niall’s apartment.

iii.

Niall is warm and heavy on Harry’s lap when he catches her eye. She’s blonde and leggy and she’s giving Harry a look that tells him she doesn’t give two shits about the boy on his lap.

“Right, babe?” Niall turns to look down at him, effectively bringing him back down to reality.

“Sorry, what? I spaced out for a sec there.”

“I was just telling Matt here how your sister almost made me shit my pants when I met her.”

“She’s protective,” Harry tells Matt, one of Niall’s friends from his work. He’s the one who’s throwing this small kick back, and he probably knows the blonde. “Besides, Niall’s an easy target.”

“You’re so mean to me.” Niall pouts down at him, and Harry tries to soothe him with a kiss to his chin.

“You guys are so sickening,” Emily, Matt’s girlfriend, informs them as she makes her way back to her seat next to Matt, coffee in one hand. “How long have you been together?”

“I’d say about a year this October?” Niall looks back down at Harry for confirmation, but Harry can’t really give that. He only vaguely remembers that they’d met at a coffee shop and the weather was just beginning to change. He can vaguely remember some Halloween decorations in the back of his brain, but the details blur around the memory of Niall’s beautiful eyes and brilliant smile.

“Yeah, I think that’s right,” Harry confirms with a smile. "Longest year of my life.”

“Dick,” Niall mutters and turns back to Matt. After a few minutes, Harry gently pushes Niall off his lap so he can go to the bathroom.

He’s washing his hands when the door opens and the blonde from before walks in.

“Hi, how are you?” Harry asks her reflection.

“Turn around,” she tells him.

He takes his time drying his hands then slowly turns around and leans back against the sink. She moves forward to kiss him, but she places a gentle hand on her shoulder to stop her. 

She frowns.

He pulls out his phone and holds it out for her.

After she programs her number on his phone, Harry walks out and leaves her in the bathroom with nothing but a kiss on the cheek and an unspoken promise.

Niall lets out an obnoxious and happy cackle when Harry pulls him back onto his lap. 

iv. 

_you can’t ignore me forever_

Harry sends the text as soon as he’s in Niall’s eye line. He can see the exact moment when Niall reads the message only to lock his phone and put it back in his pocket.

“Jesus Christ,” Harry mutters under his breath before he starts making his way across the dance floor. Niall is talking to an older couple, laughing in all the right places, but Harry can tell that there is no real light in his eyes.

“Excuse me,” Harry interrupts the conversation with a gentle hand on Niall’s elbow. “Can I borrow you for a minute?” 

Niall takes a deep breath and excuses himself and soon enough they’re making their way out to the lobby of the hotel.

“I don’t feel like fighting right now,” is the first thing Niall says once they’re outside the ballroom. “Not tonight, Harry.”

“I don’t want to fight either,” Harry tells him. “But I don’t want to start off the New Year this way, either.”

“Me neither.” Niall looks down at the ground, and he’s hunched into himself, which is so new and bizarre and horrible. “I’m just not sure what to do.”

“We never said we were exclusive,” Harry says for what he feels is the thousandth time.

“I guess I never thought I had to say anything,” Niall snaps.

“Well maybe you should have,” Harry counters.

Niall flinches.

“I—“ Harry stops himself from saying anything that will make this shitty situation any worse and instead hugs Niall as tight as he can. Niall tenses up as soon as their bodies make contact, but soon enough his body relaxes against Harry’s.

“Can we be exclusive now?” Niall mutters against the material of Harry’s suit jacket. “I—Please?”

Harry rubs a soothing hand down Niall’s back. “If that’s what you want.”

“It’s what I want.”

It’s what Niall wants.

v.

Harry follows Niall out of the party.

“Where are you going?” Harry calls out after him. “You can’t just leave your own fucking birthday party!”

“I can if my boyfriend fucked half of the people there!” Niall yells back angrily, not sparing a look back at him as he walks briskly down the stars

“Don’t you dare throw that in my face; you know I—“

“You tried so hard, yeah, yeah, I know,” Niall snaps. They’ve finally reached the landing, and Niall is about to walk out onto the street when Harry grabs his elbow.

Niall pulls roughly away. “Don’t touch me,” he hisses. “God, I can’t even look at you right now.”

They’re outside now, somehow, in the deserted sidewalk in front of their apartment complex, and the party is still going on upstairs.

“I thought we’d gone over this—“

“We did go over this; we went over this and over this and I thought we were finished. I thought you had finished with your commitment issues like I had, but clearly—“

“What are you talking about?”

“ _I saw you with him!_ ” Niall finally yells, and Harry’s blood runs cold. “That weekend I told you I was gonna go see my parents and you told me you had a midterm that you had to study for so you couldn’t come with me—I went but I came back early and I stopped by Bressie’s bar to pick up something and when I came out you were there, walking out of that restaurant you took me to on our first anniversary and I was about to cross the street when some guy started groping you.” Niall lets out a long shaky breath. “You didn’t pull away.”

“Niall, I—“ But Harry can’t speak, because the lump on his throat makes it impossible for him to even breathe. “I didn’t—“

“I don’t know why you keep doing this to me.” Niall runs his hand roughly across his face to wipe his eyes. “I wanted…so much with you.”

“I’m sorry,” Harry manages to say.

“Good.” Niall squares his shoulders and looks Harry straight on. “I hope you’re sorry for a while.”

With that, Niall turns to get into his car. “Your stuff is gone when I get back,” Niall calls out before he gets in and drives away.

vi.

It’s a random house party in the middle of summer, and they bump into each other as Niall is leaving and Harry’s walking in.

“Niall, hi,” Harry greets him and he feels his heart beat double time. They haven’t seen each other in months, and there’s so much that Harry needs to tell him and—

“Hi,” Niall says shortly, then sidesteps Harry to get through the door.

Harry watches him walk away again.

vii.

“I love you,” Harry tells him, drunk and manic and finally alone with Niall after months of desperately trying to run into him. They’re standing on the balcony of someone stranger’s apartment, but they’re alone and Harry can finally say all of these things that have been choking him for nearly a year. “I love you and I’m sorry.”

Niall doesn’t look at him, just keeps drinking his beer.

Harry has rehearsed this speech over and over again, but all of the words he’d practiced are gone and all he can say is, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” Niall mutters quietly down at his bottle, and Harry’s heart stops beating.

Finally, Niall looks up to meet Harry’s gaze. “But we shouldn’t be together.”

“I—“ Harry can’t _breathe_.

“I wish things hadn’t ended the way they had,” Niall tells him. “I wish we could be friends, because I love you, and you’re a good person despite…everything. But we want different things, and we shouldn’t be together.”

Harry loves him.

“I’ll see you later, Harry.”

Niall places a light touch on his shoulder and leaves him again.

vii.

“This is the part where I congratulate this wunderkind on another disgustingly successful year,” Nick addresses the table in a theatrically bored tone. “This is where I tell you all how amazing and talented this little asshole is. Well…” He finally looks down at Harry and winks. “Let’s just skip that and get really drunk.”

The entire table, including Harry, laughs and clink their glasses of champagne. 

“What’s it feel to be a year closer to death?” Nick asks him after he’s sat back down next to Harry.

“I don’t know.” Harry shrugs. “What’s it like to be on death’s doorway?”

“I let you get away with this disrespect because I know you’re jealous,” Nick says dismissively.

“Right,” Harry laughs and gets up.

“Where you going? We’re about to open your presents.”

“I have to pee, God.” He rolls his eyes at his overdramatic best friend. “Please don’t open my presents when I’m gone.”

Nick doesn’t respond, just takes another long gulp from his champagne flute, so Harry lets it go and starts making his way to the bathroom.

He’s opening the door to the bathroom when he hears someone call his name behind him.

“Yeah?” he answers, expecting Nick or anyone else from his birthday dinner. Instead, he sees Niall walking toward him, huge surprised smile on his face and a handsome man’s hand held in his.

“Niall?” Harry says dumbly as Niall pulls him into a tight hug.

“Oh my god you cut your hair!” Niall laughs, eyes crinkling in the corners just like they used to. 

“I—Yeah,” Harry laughs, tugging at his close cropped curls self-consciously. “You’re still blonde.”

Niall shrugs. “Some things never change.”

“Yeah.”

“Harry, this is my fiancé,” Niall says, gesturing to the man who’s been observing their interaction with a curious sort of amusement. “Zayn, this is Harry; we used to date in college.”

“Nice to meet you,” Zayn says, going in for a handshake. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Most of it bad, I assume,” Harry says. “I wasn’t a very good boyfriend.”

“You were a good boyfriend,” Niall argues. “Despite the cheating, you were a good boyfriend.”

“Thanks.” Harry shakes it off and moves on to say, “I didn’t know you lived here now.”

“We don’t,” Niall tells him. “Just here for work. His, not mine.”

“The design firm I work for is opening a branch here,” Zayn explains. “I’m just here to make sure things run smoothly.”

“That’s great,” Harry says. “I’m just here for my—dinner with some friends. You guys want to join?”

“I don’t think so,” Niall tells him, apologetic smile on his face. Harry’s heart sinks. “We’re supposed to have drinks with this one’s boss in fifteen minutes and we’re already late.”

“Oh well, don’t let me keep you then.”

Niall gives Harry one long look then turns to whisper something in his fiancé’s ear. Zayn nods once and presses a chaste kiss to his cheek before saying goodbye to Harry and walking toward the direction of the exit.

“You should go now if you don’t want to be late,” Harry says, running a hand nervously through his hair.

Niall goes in for another hug, longer this time. “Happy birthday, Harry,” Niall mutters into his ear. When he pulls back, he digs through his coat pocket and pulls out a fancy cardholder. He takes out a business card and hands it over. “Please call me, OK? We’ll catch up for real.”

“I—Sure,” Harry says, smile growing by the second. “I’ll do that.”

“It was nice seeing you again, Harry,” Niall tells him, and touches his elbow gently.

“You too, Niall.”

“I’ll see you soon,” Niall says. He smiles once more before he starts walking away.

“See you soon,” Harry says to his retreating back.

He will.

**Author's Note:**

> i wrote this in one sitting and decided the world needed to see it immediately


End file.
